tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9437210598372963362015-10-03T20:38:52.284-04:00THE VAN DER MARK CREWWe want to follow the message of Jesus Christ to focus our lives around other-centered, compassionate, action-oriented love.Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-51218391335497616002015-01-12T21:36:00.001-05:002015-01-12T21:36:15.643-05:005 Years Since That Devastating DayIt's been 5 years since that devastating day. The one that shook the foundations of our lives and that of so many of our Haitian friends. The day that lives of our friends were lost and that colleagues of ours had to bury their babies, their wives, their brothers and mothers. The day that so much destruction surrounded us and so much hurt.<br /><br />I remember the smell of the decaying bodies under buildings to this day, I remember bodies lying by the side of the road, I remember the horror of dump trucks needed to clear the bodies from the streets, and I remember the mass gravesite where they lay. I remember the patients lying in city hospital parking lots with gangrene infested wounds and more infections ensuing. I remember the tears in the eyes of our security guard as he told us he lost his 4 children. I remember my co-worker telling me that his daughter was stuck under a building for four days and I remember my friend who was trapped in his school building while he listened to his classmates die one by one.<br /><br />In 2010 I was the Medical Coordinator of a mission clinic in the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince Haiti. It was this mighty little clinic that stood while others fell, it was this mighty little clinic that treated over 150 dying and injured people in the first few hours after the destruction. We had limited support and little pain medication. It was in this mighty little clinic that I saw more pain and injury than I care to see in over a lifetime or that I care to describe to you. It was in this mighty little clinic that I did not sleep for 33 hours straight and it was through this mighty little clinic that I coordinated 4 field hospitals, 150 medical personnel/week, a surgical unit that completed over 2000 surgeries and saw over 8000 trauma patients in the ensuing months.<br /><br />From those first days, I remember limbs that needed to be amputated and I remember having to tell mothers we could not save their babies. I remember having to use heavy rocks to traction femur fractures and wood sticks as IV poles, I remember cleaning concrete out of wounds and stapling scalps back together. I remember reducing hundreds of fractures and stabilizing them. I remember the eyes of desolation and pain and then hope as the injured looked to me for help. I remember the burden of responsibility I took upon myself for the lives of every patient and the coordination of surgeries via US military helicopters around Port-Au-Prince.<br /><br />Now I stand here 5 years later. It seems so near, yet so far. It seems like yesterday, yet a lifetime ago. A lot has passed since that terrible time and I am in a different place. I have healed from my post traumatic stress symptoms. A process that took 4 ½ years and the blessing of trauma counselling. I am now able to look back on this dark time without a quick heartbeat, tears, or the burden of guilt of not saving every patient. I have closure for the hundreds of thousands that never got a funeral and I am at peace with the world. I have joy.<br /><br />As I look back I am able to see the hope, the light, the healing, the power in such an event like this. I am able to see the incredible strength of the human spirit that God gives us and I am able to see how His strength is enough to carry us through anything. I am able to see the incredible things that have been born out of the destruction. I am able to see how much Haiti has advanced over the past 5 years and how it continues to do so. I am able to see the spiritual change in so many who put their trust in God when they had no hope before. I am able to see the strength that has built in relationships and the resilience of so many. As I look back now, I see that difficult time not as one that defines my life in the here and now, but as one that will be a part of my past forever. I am able to appreciate so many people that were there that day for a reason and all the work they did to save lives. I am so thankful for those that came to help us save so many and I am so grateful for the lives saved. I am thankful that many have partnered with Haiti over the past 5 years to advance God's kingdom for the Haitian people through housing, food, medical care, and education. Most of all I am so inspired by the Haitian people and their drive to move on.<br /><br />As I look forward I am encouraged by so much, I am empowered to use what I have learned from the past and to use it for good. I am excited to see how God continues to put Haiti on my heart and to know that I am blessed, so blessed in this life. I pray that people will never forget Haiti. I pray that people will continue to support Haiti and help to rebuild a great nation of people.<br /><br />Nou Pap Janm Bliye (We will never forget)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2NVcdhjz5cI/VLSAhtlJECI/AAAAAAAABKA/vsLcrBoxM4A/s1600/DSC00050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2NVcdhjz5cI/VLSAhtlJECI/AAAAAAAABKA/vsLcrBoxM4A/s1600/DSC00050.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me and an ER physician exhausted in the middle of the night with body in background</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tX6VjUfbbIQ/VLSBRbMfr0I/AAAAAAAABKY/3WbEPJhipkE/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tX6VjUfbbIQ/VLSBRbMfr0I/AAAAAAAABKY/3WbEPJhipkE/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0476.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Patient- loved them all-</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kp9LEcruWwg/VLSBtTBCgnI/AAAAAAAABKg/9xZXliJ4nRY/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kp9LEcruWwg/VLSBtTBCgnI/AAAAAAAABKg/9xZXliJ4nRY/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0576.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Military chopper bringing wounded to our facility</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o6L-W98rhB8/VLSCaSMkgzI/AAAAAAAABKw/mt7KriDRmq0/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o6L-W98rhB8/VLSCaSMkgzI/AAAAAAAABKw/mt7KriDRmq0/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0692.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Destruction</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7YcJnOoZk_U/VLSCIJNFVsI/AAAAAAAABKo/v74vH0mR0DM/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7YcJnOoZk_U/VLSCIJNFVsI/AAAAAAAABKo/v74vH0mR0DM/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0715.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gArtdEtHa6c/VLSDXdgKFqI/AAAAAAAABLM/-a7H50umNa8/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gArtdEtHa6c/VLSDXdgKFqI/AAAAAAAABLM/-a7H50umNa8/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0728.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CLQKnuUItBk/VLSDVz0s5eI/AAAAAAAABLE/k4uS5lWBA7A/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CLQKnuUItBk/VLSDVz0s5eI/AAAAAAAABLE/k4uS5lWBA7A/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0729.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">National Palace</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5PCqDnTeOMg/VLSAiiSlopI/AAAAAAAABKI/fxwYCxE3pBE/s1600/SAM_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5PCqDnTeOMg/VLSAiiSlopI/AAAAAAAABKI/fxwYCxE3pBE/s1600/SAM_0252.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mass Gravesite</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a7LYdqhuYKI/VLSDRd7VozI/AAAAAAAABK8/NYwjPquQg2o/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a7LYdqhuYKI/VLSDRd7VozI/AAAAAAAABK8/NYwjPquQg2o/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0762.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A new Haiti, a new beginning</div><br /><br /><br />Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-49730080051115887662013-07-07T02:07:00.000-04:002013-07-07T02:07:33.400-04:00Books and BlogsI spent the evening printing out every blog entry we have done since we started out our journey to Haiti and back. I would like to keep them all in a book for our family to have for years. The good and the bad. It was quite the trip down memory lane. What feelings and memories it brought back! I could see the sights in my mind, hear the sounds and smell the smells. I smiled at the adventures of the kids and cried at the tragedy of many stories.&nbsp;As I was looking back to all our heart felt posts about life in Haiti and beyond even I am amazed at the power of the human spirit when you have God to depend on.<br /><br />Many people have told me I should write a book and believe me I have started but life with 5 kids a full time practice and ministry, it is tough to find time to sit down and write. When I ponder this, I have many ideas...a book about my life as a missionary in Haiti; a book about just my earthquake and aftermath experiences as a medical missionary; an autobiography type about my whole life journey including my faith walk, kids, practice, mission work; just a blog entry type book like.. a diary of a missionary (I know overused) or a book filled with stories of individuals I had the honour of coming across.... How I wish I had the gift of writing like my friend Diana.<br /><br />As I think about sharing my written expressions of my experiences there are times when I think that no one would ever be interested and then times where I think it would be important and wildly popular (these moments are usually when people tell me I need to write a book when all they know is I have a practice and 5 kids! If only they knew the rest ha ha). Most of all through any of my writings I would want others to see how incredibly powerful God is and how His strength will pull them through. I would want them to see the hope and the loving message of Jesus through the tough times.<br /><br />As my eyelids slowly start to slip I will end my musings and continue to lean on the wisdom of the Lord and let Him lead me always.<br />CherylLaurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-14379778707376020932013-03-04T13:42:00.001-05:002013-07-06T23:14:43.855-04:00God is GreatGod is great. I remind myself of this often when second guessing myself on His plan to move us back to Canada. Since coming back we have moved to a new house, the kids have all started new schools, I have started a new practice, Laurens well Laurens has jumped back into the same job he had before and the dog finds any piece of sunshine on the floor to lie in on his lazy afternoons. Teagan has had a close friend pass away as have I.<br /><br />Our family all has different thoughts on our life over the past year and a half and it is a strange thing to integrate into a materialistic culture after living among such poverty. It is a difficult thing to see such loss, trauma and destruction and then be among those who will never know such pain.<br /><br />It is tough to gather your empathy for patients with 1st world problems and to understand that to them it is indeed a big deal. It is hard to be in a workplace where some complain about the government they work for, that they do not make enough money or do not understand the value of hard work. It is hard to walk amongst the high school halls of kids that do not "get" our inner selves and it is hard not to miss catching spiders and lizards or running barefoot over the dusty rocks.<br /><br />I am surprised at how long it takes to feel "normal" in 1st world culture again on the other hand I am infinitely grateful that I do not feel "normal" yet. I hope I never do. We are still working through how God wants to use us in Canada. We have so much more to give and are praying through how to do that. We are trusting in His greatness, His wisdom, His grace and His direction. We have become in tune to those moments where He speaks to us and those moments He nudges us.<br /><br />We have had so many successes over the past year and a half and we are so grateful for our kids. We love following their lives. We have been told from all teachers each one of them are good role models for peers, they have received top marks and have won so many medals and ribbons we can't keep track. &nbsp;God is great. We know that as our kids progress, they will have low points and high points but we pray that they know that God will get them through them all.<br /><br />We are looking forward to great years ahead. We are so blessed. Please pray that God continues to go before us and we keep our eyes fixed on HimLaurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-27287333787551252252012-07-31T23:22:00.002-04:002012-07-31T23:24:05.376-04:00Prayers lifted up<br /><br />Life has a way of passing you by when immersed in so much change. This past 6 months we have been meaning to blog about our life back in Canada, how much we miss Haiti, the trips we have taken back to Haiti since moving back to Canada but we have been busy enjoying life in the moment day by day.<br /><br />Do you ever notice how independent you get from God when things are going good? Maybe you find yourself reading your bible less, praying a little less earnestly or sharing God's life changing power less often..&nbsp;This week our daughter Teagan's friend Kenton tragically drowned while swimming at his cottage......Life has a way of putting things in perspective from time to time. There is nothing is like a young 15 year old full of life and opportunity losing his life so young. Having your child loose someone close to them is something we have not experienced before and it is tough to see them suffer.<br /><br />Kenton was a young man who at first meeting filled the room with life. He was one of the young teens that was inspired by the stories Teagan brought back from Haiti and one of those that went on her mission trip to Mission of Hope with her in March. Even though Kenton's life was cut short, we praise God for His infinite wisdom and we praise God for giving Kenton the life changing experience he had in Haiti. We praise God for who Teagan is and how he gave her the strength to share her experiences that lead to such great things.<br /><br />Read about their experiences including Kenton's thoughts and Teagan's last blog at <a href="http://hdch-haiti-mission.blogspot.ca/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Stop and Think</a><br /><br />Hug your kids, enjoy all moments, lift up your prayers and trust in God always...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-15033334636856214792012-01-12T08:11:00.005-05:002012-01-12T13:41:51.736-05:00Two years later<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Today marks two years since that terrible day. Since the day that the ground shook and we all lost faith in it’s solid foundation. The day the earth’s crust moved a bit too much in a place a bit too poor with buildings a bit too weak in a city with a bit too many people. It is still a day we as a family will never forget. The Haiti earthquake of 2010 is something we wish never to relive yet those days hold a special bonding in our hearts to a country we love dearly.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">On this day we remember the fear, we remember the blood, we remember the death, we remember the stench, we remember the dust, we remember the screams and we remember the sobbing. We remember the mass graves, the collapsed buildings, the stories of deaths, the smell of decomposing bodies, counselling mothers after their babies die, the little boy with a crushed body that took his last breath 13 hours later, reducing and repositioning countless broken bones, the open wounds, the stitches, the burns, the broken pelvises, the scalps torn off, the disfigured faces, the missing limbs.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">But between all this horror, we remember the songs of redemption, we remember the singing voices, we remember the prayers answered, we remember the life change, we remember the strength, we remember the resolve, we remember the courageous stories, the extreme human benevolence, the superhuman successes, the dependance on a higher power, the will for survival, the heart to never give up and the power or God.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Please join us in remembering those that perished as well as those both physically and emotionally scarred forever by the Haiti earthquake. Please pray for continued strength in the Lord and redemption for the people in Haiti. Join us in being thankful for our lives and pray that we never take our moments here for granted. Each day is another that God has decided we need to be here on this earth. We pray that we will all search for the purpose of why He has decided we need to be here while others are gone and then charge full force in fulfilling that purpose. &nbsp;</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">We are in Canada today but our hearts are in Haiti. Nou pap janm bliye.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BgLpf2xh4Xc/Tw7buG3GMpI/AAAAAAAAA6w/44_e2ZjPLII/s1600/SAM_0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BgLpf2xh4Xc/Tw7buG3GMpI/AAAAAAAAA6w/44_e2ZjPLII/s400/SAM_0262.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mass graves close to our home in Haiti - where we are in spirit today...</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">P.S. &nbsp;With all the media negative on "where did the money go?" Please watch the video below to see&nbsp;</span>the exciting things going on right now&nbsp;at Mission of Hope. Mission of Hope is a Haitian NGO that employs over 250 Haitians and works in relationship with the government and local area for all it's programs. The Haitian people are all involved in the decisions of MOH and the money gets to the people.<br />For specific stats on programs advanced in 2011, please follow this<u><i><b> <a href="http://www.mohhaiti.org/about_moh/our_progress_in_haiti/" target="_blank">link</a> </b></i></u>to see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mohhaiti.org/about_moh/our_progress_in_haiti/" target="_blank"><i><b>MOH's updated progress</b></i></a>.<br /><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/30163926?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe></span><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/30163926">MOH Visual Summary</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/lespwa">Lespwa Means Hope</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span><br /><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span><br /><br /></div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-10593993068151195742012-01-01T01:51:00.000-05:002012-01-01T01:51:31.215-05:00Reflecting on 2011I (Cheryl) was recently in Haiti. It was my first time back after moving to Canada full time. It was fantastic and surreal at the same time. I missed my family a lot while there as it did not seem the same without them however the reception you get with Haitian friends and co-workers is like none other. I completed the next section of Mission of Hope's community health program and everything went as planned. Now those of you that know Haiti well, that in itself is a huge thing! As planned?!?!?! It was such a fruitful trip and things are progressing well. Praise God!<br /><br />As we think back to 2011, it has been another year of tears and joy. A year of tough decisions and a year of scary steps. A year of loss and a year of successes. A year of endings and a year of beginnings, a year of sorrow and a year of happiness. A year of yearning and a year of questions. A year of following where the Lord is leading us.....<br /><br /><b>Things we will miss about 2011.</b><br />Waking up to sunshine and warm temps every single day. Period.<br />Seeing smiling brown faces everywhere we go<br />Hearing the laughter of orphanage kids playing nearby<br />Speaking a different language every day<br />Teaching and training<br />Adventure and drama<br />Challenges that continually push you to your limits<br />The beach<br />Jolibris<br />Our tropical gardens<br />Bare feet<br />Sandals<br />Lizards<br />Driving like a maniac<br /><br /><b>Things we will not miss about 2011</b><br />Packing and Unpacking<br />Incurring debt<br />Kidnapping and murder of friends<br />Leaving Haiti<br />Acclimatizing to the cold<br />Rats, tarantulas, mice, scorpions<br />bad plumbing<br />cold water<br />power issues<br /><br />Of the above, two major events stand out to us for 2011. First making the tough decision to move back to Canada full time and second the murder of our gardener and friend Jolibris. Jolibris was the sweetest old man you could ever imagine. He loved the Lord with all his heart and soul. He came to work each and every day with a smile on his face and love in his heart. He watched out for our kids and our dog if he escaped. He kept our gardens watered and cared for. He was father to our Pastor and friend to all. He was kidnapped and murdered this fall. Senseless. We will miss him greatly. May he rest with the Lord in all His splendor. We love you Jolibris.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZErUfZXms0/TwAAmkmYduI/AAAAAAAAA6k/jahGtVcSA2E/s1600/Aug+06+Haiti+Jim+stuff+290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZErUfZXms0/TwAAmkmYduI/AAAAAAAAA6k/jahGtVcSA2E/s640/Aug+06+Haiti+Jim+stuff+290.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />Although we remember 2011, it is with joy and anticipation that we look forward to 2012. We savour the road that God leads us on and look forward to what adventures He will put in front of us.<br /><br />We wish you and your families a blessed 2012. May you follow the path set out for you with all of your heart and all of your soul for it is the Lord our God that we work for.Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-19505479715575983532011-10-22T20:18:00.002-05:002011-10-22T20:58:57.596-05:00Emotional goodbyes and newfound hellos<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zIpq9B1u1EQ/TqNz-YBGerI/AAAAAAAAA5U/SK2XqBSUvHk/s1600/DSC_0022.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zIpq9B1u1EQ/TqNz-YBGerI/AAAAAAAAA5U/SK2XqBSUvHk/s320/DSC_0022.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The VDM Crew in Canada</td></tr></tbody></table>Wow, what a tough adventure returning from full time missions in a 5th world country. I know we have been silent for a while and mainly to be honest it is because we just did not know what to say. Our hearts ache for our Haiti home, our co-workers and friends, the broken lives and faith-filled hearts. At the same time we know that God has called us back to Canada.<br /><br />We miss the smiles, the heartfelt greetings, the heat, the sweat and the tears. We miss the community living (it's true Rachel), the relationships, the language and the bond between earthquake survivors. As crazy as it sounds we miss the life threatening traffic, the hour and a half dangerous drive to groceries and the rocky mountain hill. We miss friends that are willing to lay down their life for you and we miss being there for others no matter what time of day or night. We miss our lives in Haiti.<br /><br />Transition back to a culture that is for the most part oblivious to poverty, God, their eternal security and most things that do not relate to their daily schedule has been tough. Relating to and integrating back into that is harder than we thought yet not...<br /><br />We have found a fantastic and I mean fantastic Christian school for the kids where they are nurtured and loved beyond what any parent would hope for. They have teachers that see their potential and encourage them to be all that God has called them to be and they are being used mightily. Teagan has her grade 10 class sponsoring a grade 10 student at Mission of Hope school already and she is leading a mission trip to Haiti this March break with 15 of her students. She has been asked to make presentations at which she has made people cry and ignited their hearts...The Lord is using her in amazing ways. The 4 younger ones are excelling both in the classroom and on the field and we are told by their teachers they are setting an example for others in their caring ways and leadership abilities. Praise God for how He is using them as well.<br /><br />Laurens is getting used to being back on the force and remembering all the paperwork involved in investigations in Canada, the rules in Canada and the red tape in Canada......all the whole appreciating the fact that Canadians are fortunate to be in a country that provides so much for it's people and what a blessing it is to live in a country where so many have a job that pays more than enough.<br /><br />Cheryl is getting used to being mom to 5 kids that have homework, activities, driving to school and who have things due all the time, all the while unpacking in our new home. She will be starting to do chiropractic out of her home office soon and covering for other chiropractors on vacation and maternity leave. She misses all her orthopaedic surgeon, ER doc and FP friends from the US and is hoping they will relocate to Canada and refer her patients :) Most of all she is trying to get used to being away from her Haitian staff friends and missing her housekeeper horribly!<br /><br />We feel a renewed strength to share our faith with others and to open the eyes of others beyond these borders. We look forward to not just jumping back into same old same old but rather in to same old place, fresh new outlook.<br /><br />It is an interesting road that we travel when we follow the Lord with all our hearts. He walks with us into difficult situations and is there before, during and after the fire. We seek His face in all things as we get used to this new phase in our journey with Him.<br /><br />Thank you for being with us on our journey. The journey never ends and we are pressing forward with joy in our hearts.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v0idWeHI3X8/TqNy4VFrsII/AAAAAAAAA48/obGY2mTAXwg/s1600/17102011024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v0idWeHI3X8/TqNy4VFrsII/AAAAAAAAA48/obGY2mTAXwg/s400/17102011024.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridgely getting ready to race</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pzAWvFWzZx8/TqNy8NnCMtI/AAAAAAAAA5E/frjcWsAtwkM/s1600/17102011040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pzAWvFWzZx8/TqNy8NnCMtI/AAAAAAAAA5E/frjcWsAtwkM/s400/17102011040.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grayden showing them how it's done in the long distance</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ghcg7OPlfps/TqNy8QRJ1YI/AAAAAAAAA5M/te3d5ipS-Dk/s1600/DSC07956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ghcg7OPlfps/TqNy8QRJ1YI/AAAAAAAAA5M/te3d5ipS-Dk/s400/DSC07956.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The twins...like they have always lived in Canada!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-20087948462106823002011-06-03T11:23:00.000-05:002011-06-03T11:23:18.103-05:00Haitian Mother's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You may think this is a little late for Mother's Day but in Haiti, it was just last Sunday. This Sunday was special and I was proud of our Haitian men honouring the mother's. When so many countries in the world do not honour women, it was nice to see.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now in Haiti, woman are not seen on the same level as men and there are many very chauvinistic practices for sure, but they do see the woman as essential to their being. As one of my Haitian doctors said in his mother's day speech, "today we honour women because without them there would be no perpetuation of life. We praise God for creating women so that life can be renewed and continued".&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At church on Sunday, one of our elders in the church who likes a good party (who also looks like a Haitian biker with a big moustache) called out to find the oldest mother in our church. He stated at 100 and counted down until he hit the age of the oldest lady in our church. In Haiti the average life expectancy is only 56-58, so anyone over 60 is pretty old. He made it down to 85 before 2 ladies came forward. You can see them both in the photo below (the one in the blue dress and the one to her left. At 85 years old, they have seen so much in this country and what an accomplishment it is to live that old.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you have ever seen a Haitian lady this old (and I have met a few that are 98 and even one that claimed 101), they are the sweetest things in the world. He proceeded to count down until we had the group of oldest mothers in our church.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the photo of the oldest "mommy's" in our church. They range from 75 to 85 years old. These women have a legacy for sure, praise God.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A2butWrfaxU/TekE_OMXzWI/AAAAAAAAA20/UBw_gJsny5s/s1600/IMG00087-20110529-1104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A2butWrfaxU/TekE_OMXzWI/AAAAAAAAA20/UBw_gJsny5s/s400/IMG00087-20110529-1104.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-54693630365194368782011-04-23T20:38:00.000-05:002011-04-23T20:38:34.754-05:00Easter thoughts from HaitiWe are enjoying our Easter in Haiti. As we reflect, we are reminded of how much God loves us.<br /><br />Easter is the day Jesus died on the cross for us. Many people take this for granted or chalk it up to tradition or religion, but let's think about it for a minute. This man named Jesus that people all over the world are still talking about over 2 <i>THOUSAND</i>&nbsp;years later claimed to be the living God; "God on earth"; &nbsp;God's son. The bible claims that God loves each one of us (not just Christian's but <i>everyone</i>&nbsp;(yes even murderers, adulterers, alcoholics etc)) so much that he sent a living part of Himself (His son) to this Earth to die for us. What does this mean really?<br /><br />Well, let's think about it. Our teacher Diana related a story similar to this to our kids in school on Friday and it really puts things into perspective. It is a story of a dad who has a choice to save a train full of hundreds of people that is barrelling down the track to sure destruction; or to save his son. He has a desperate choice to make, 1) either pull the switch and save the train thereby directing it onto his son that is stuck on the other track, or 2) save his son and let the train crash on the track it is currently on. He chooses to sacrifice the life of his son to save multitudes of others. How many of us would do this? I know that I could not. Whether you agree with his decision or not, this is what God does. He sacrifices his son and saves the train. Now picture yourself on the train. That is where you are...... on the train. God has the power to save you or let you continue to sure destruction. What would you want Him to do? What would you expect Him to do?<br /><br />Most of us would want Him to save us but most of us would expect a dad to save his own son not us. How could you <i>expect</i> a father to sacrifice his <i>own</i> son to save you? This is the point. You should not expect it. It is a free gift that you do not deserve. It is a love that runs so deep that the God of the universe should love you so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own son; he was willing to let His own son die for you.<br /><br />Many people do not understand why they need this saving. What are they being saved from? The bible teaches that heaven is living in peace with God for <i>ever and ever</i> and it is perfect. It is eternal and it is more awesome that anyone can imagine. The creator of everything lives in perfection. Nothing that is imperfect can enter this space. Nothing. The world that we live in is <i>not</i>&nbsp;perfect. It is anything but. <i>We </i>are not perfect. Man made the decision a long time ago to break from God in order to make his own decisions. Man was deceived by Satan and decided to go his own way. By following this imperfect way that we are all thrust into, we are heading to spend eternity with Satan....in hell.<br /><br />So where does this leave us? We are not perfect, the world we live in is no longer perfect yet heaven is perfect. Therefore, we can never enter heaven. Even those of us that try to live our best and do good things are not perfect. Every time a judgemental thought enters our brain, every time we think we know better than someone else, every time we complain, every time we think badly of someone, every time we depend on our prideful selves, every time we do not let others go before us, every time we buy things we do not need. All of these things are <i>not</i>&nbsp;perfect.<br /><br />This brings us back to the brutal reality that we <i>can not </i>enter heaven. I remember the first time I had this realization. Up till then I always thought that good people go to heaven. This is not what the bible says. No one who is not perfect can go to heaven. Yikes. I remember staring down the hell barrel thinking, "that is really where I am headed; where <i>all</i>&nbsp;of us are headed?"<br /><br />Well, here is the good news. This is what Jesus (God's son) died for. The penalty for sin (doing things short of perfect) is death. Hell. Not being allowed into a perfect heaven. &nbsp;Jesus claims in the bible to be the living God, the son of God, and He claims to die for our sins. He claimed that He came to live among us to take all of our sins, all of our imperfections and take our resulting death (hell punishment) upon Himself. He died to absorb all of it for us. He thrust it upon Himself, God sacrificed His son, so we could live. God poured all of the judgement we deserve as imperfect beings on His son, therefore saving us.<br /><br />Why you may say, does the world have to be so imperfect? Why does God not just fix it all? You have to know that it is not God's will that the world is like this. It is because He loves us that God has given people free will to choose how they want to live. He does not want us to live like robots under His spell. Because of the fact that Satan (a fallen angel) deceived the world and man to make choices outside God's plan, the world is not as it should be. The bible promises that bad things will happen. It promises that because of this, there will be bad people, bad situations, sickness, earthquakes and trauma etc, but it is not God causing it. God is the one that loves you so much it hurts. God is the one that pulled the switch on the train because it hurts His heart so bad to see you barrelling towards destruction. God is the one that is with you every step of the way even when you have turned your back on Him.<br /><br />How, you may say do I know that this self proclaimed Jesus is the living God, God's son? Well, Jesus made many bold claims about being God in His time. He radically claimed to save the world and die for people's sins. He claimed that it was God's plan that He die for all sins. But the key is that He claimed that he would rise (come back to life) on the 3rd day. This people call the resurrection. It would be one thing to claim you are God and you are going to rise on the 3rd day (to prove you were actually God) and not do it. It would also be one thing to claim that you will take everyone's sins and then never rise again. But is is a whole different story when you claim to be God, you claim to die for everyone's sins so that they can live with God forever and then actually rise on the 3rd day to prove it. Without this resurrection, Jesus is just another false Messiah, false profit or cult member. But with this resurrection, one must think that maybe Jesus is the living God. Maybe God really does love me this much. Maybe God really does want to restore the world to a perfect heaven with me in it. Maybe, just maybe everything he said and did was the truth.&nbsp;Jesus tells us that upon believing that He is the living God, and upon accepting that He died for you and that by deciding to live your life out of eternal gratitude to Him, you will enter heaven, perfectly. There is not other way in. None.<br /><br />Christianity (Jesus followers) is not a religion (a set of rules and regulations to follow). It is a faith that what God talks about in the bible is the truth. It is a life of gratitude for what Jesus has done for us and a way of following Him as a compassionate loving father.<br /><br />Now what? Where do we go from here? Is it worth looking into? Is it worth learning about this guy Jesus? Is it worth thinking about Easter as more than just Easter bunnies? You may say. No. It is not for me and that is your choice.<br /><br />But <i>what if</i> Jesus' claims were actually true, <i>what if</i> he really did rise again, <i>what if</i> He really is God, <i>what if </i>He really does love you that much. <i>What if<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">&nbsp;God does not want you to spend eternity in hell?&nbsp;</span>What if</i> God really did pull the switch and let His son die to save <b><i>you</i></b>? &nbsp;Are you willing to ignore Him?Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-14596653765733196662011-04-06T23:14:00.001-05:002011-04-17T23:50:52.599-05:00A Chapter Turns<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">This is one of the hardest things we have had to write during our time in Haiti.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">After three awesome challenging years, God is leading us back to Canada full time this summer.&nbsp;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">After a lot of thought and prayer, we feel that there is a reason that God has given Laurens a three year leave of absence from the OPP and we feel that it is time for him to return. We also feel that our older children need to come back to receive further high school education in Canada. In addition, one of Mission of Hope's core values is indigenous leadership. We have worked hard over the last 3 years setting up programs, teaching, training and equipping our Haitian counterparts. We feel that we have accomplished many of these goals and are happy to say that many things are running well indigenously. If this is the case, no matter how difficult it is, then it is time for us to pull back and let them fly on their own.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">We have changed so much these past few years as have our kids. We have grown in the Lord and have come through many trials. We have grown closer as a family and now depend more fully on God. We have made amazing cross cultural friends and we have learned a new language. We have shown others Christ and others have taught us what He is all about. We have seen destruction and we have seen hope. We have lived with those that are so poor materially but who are so rich spiritually. These past 3 years in Haiti we will never forget. They will forever be a part of us and we of them. We have made friends for life. We love Haiti and Mission of Hope and all that it stands for. We will continue to be a part of Mission of Hope and help anyway we can to the advancement of the programs for the Haitian people from Canada.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Over the past fews years we have been a part of the clinic growing from newly open, to services such as outpatient, lab, pharmacy, dental, ER room, ambulance services, surgery, patient ward, prosthetic lab, mobile medical clinics, a medical supply program and community health programs. We have seen our student body double in size, our orphanage grow, our church explode and our facilities improve. We have been part of well drilling, windmill projects, water systems, facility projects and too many construction projects to mention. We have seen homes and lives rebuilt, miracle healings, death and hope restored. We have trained, lead, facilitated, built relationships and empowered people. We have been blessed beyond measure through all that God called us to do in the little country of Haiti.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />I have to admit, a big part of me is scared. Scared that we are moving back into a world that is so very different. One that we can put on a good front with, but one we no longer feel comfortable in. A world of intense materialism and one where people try to "keep it all together" as if our challenges should be faced all alone. One with large expectations and big questions such as "what are you going to do for work?", "where are you going to live?" (because "<i>obviously</i>&nbsp;the little townhouse you bought is way too small for you")&nbsp;A world where no one can be expected to "get it" and life bolls you over. A world that does not have God at the forefront and one where it is not politically correct to mention Him. A world that has SNOW in APRIL (come on people!!) and I have to check the weather before getting dressed. Ok I just started to cry.&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">My heart yearns already for the kind words of the hospital cleaning lady or the hugs of my patients. It yearns to hang out with one of my unlikely 50 year old friends to whom I teach English. To laugh when it comes out as "Goot job" or "plese, come sit down" and is followed by him trying one on his own to get someone to stand, "plese, come sit up?" My heart aches to lose experiences like having a flat tire and sitting down amongst mango trees making new friends while it gets fixed by every local man who all think they know everything about tires. Sorrow surfaces to know that I will miss the wash lady's 3 year old daughter every day singing "wouj wouj, lat tomat" which should be "wouj wouj, pat tomat" (red red, tomato paste). I already miss the smell of the dirt, my pants sticking to my skin and worshiping in Creole. I already miss driving like a maniac (not by choice) in Port-Au-Prince, narrowly missing other cars and them me, dodging potholes, broken down cars, school children, motorbikes..... and it being normal (we have already started our driving offence fund for Canada). I shake my head when I realize that casual conversations people have with us about which family member of theirs died in the quake, in a motor vehicle accident, from cholera, a "criz ke" heart attack or voodoo curse, will not be normal conversations anymore. I yearn to continue to save the souls of those dying in the ER as they turn their eyes to Jesus before passing.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">My heart breaks when people tell us with tears streaming down their face, "this is NOT good (that you are leaving)" "this does not sit well with me" or "you are not like the others, you are supposed to stay forever", "you are like family, you can not go" or still, "I have no reason to be here if I lose you, my friend". It cracks when I think about not hearing the children from the orphanage playing outside my house all day, not seeing the babies grow and not being able to get quick hug or a sassy smile. I tell you it is tough.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">However, despite all of these emotions, God has clearly spoken in our souls that He has always has a plan for us. For now, that plan moves forward in Canada. God's plan for our life is not one that ends with one season and begins with the next, it is a continuum of His call for obedience to His perfect will. God has not<i>&nbsp;changed</i>&nbsp;His plans for our lives, He is moving us continually forward to His ultimate goal. Our calling is to follow Him wherever He may lead and we must be faithful to that calling.&nbsp;</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">We know that he will walk with us always.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Haiti will forever be part of us and "si Bondye vle" (If God wants) we will be back. It is part of us, part of our kids and part of our souls.&nbsp;</span>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-35852108672455864852011-04-04T22:03:00.000-05:002011-04-04T22:03:38.667-05:00We finally made the visit!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 2007 God stuck a spark in us for this country. We felt in our hearts that we needed to be a part of these beautiful people. Back then we sponsored children through an organization in Haiti called New Missions before we even knew about Mission of Hope. Pierre and Djenica have long been in our hearts and we have on many occasion thought we needed to visit them and it never worked out. We tried to see them once before but it was a Sunday and it was not meant to be. This past month we finally made the trip out to where they live to see the children and their families that we have prayed for all this time. It was AMAZING. Let me tell you though, God had his reason's for us not being able to go until now since in the beginning we just did not know Haiti and the language nearly good enough for what we would have to go through to find them! We will tell the story though a series of photos.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We first showed up at New Missions compound to find our children. After a long wait, they did not show up like they were supposed to (not surprising for Haiti :) so a Haitian pastor took us to their school in rural Haiti outside Leogone. After a bit of a drive and a walk down to the school, the teacher said they were not there that day as they were sick. Thus started our trek with Frantz, a high school student that thought he knew where they each lived.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We first set out to find little Pierre. Pierre we first sponsored when he was five and in kindergarten. Now he is is turning 10 and his birthday was coming up. First we went into the country to a small village settlement to find Pierre and waited for an hour for the family to come home. True to Haitian hospitality, a sweet old lady came out of no where and gave us chairs to sit on in the dirt. We waited and waited. Finally a little child walked up and they said, there he is. We took one look at the child and knew it was not our Pierre. After a discussion, we found out this was Pierre's cousin and Pierre himself lives a little further.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After that our trusty Frantz was pretty sure he knew where to go so this is us traipsing through the field to go to the next location.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wV8DekgedX0/TXpJjBYLjuI/AAAAAAAAAss/tdsVM9UNL1M/s1600/DSCF0388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wV8DekgedX0/TXpJjBYLjuI/AAAAAAAAAss/tdsVM9UNL1M/s320/DSCF0388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Once we emerged from the field and out the other side, we saw this beautiful scene. It was so lush and gorgeous it took our breath away. This is a small part of the Haiti that has not been cut down and instantly I was reminded how much I love this place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jpORh8BYf1o/TXpK3TOhgAI/AAAAAAAAAtA/zw8eX83Ky_4/s1600/DSCF0402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jpORh8BYf1o/TXpK3TOhgAI/AAAAAAAAAtA/zw8eX83Ky_4/s320/DSCF0402.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the field and the beautiful mountains, we passed a river and saw houses through the trees. Could this be the houses we thought? Would we finally get to meet little Pierre?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E0P3HfHE-KE/TXpKh_wFzpI/AAAAAAAAAs8/VwjiYfebffI/s1600/DSCF0399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E0P3HfHE-KE/TXpKh_wFzpI/AAAAAAAAAs8/VwjiYfebffI/s320/DSCF0399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is Pierre (the one in the front with his head tilted to the side) with his mother, big brother (on the left) and his baby brother with mom in front of their house. A cousin (in the blue) stood for the picture too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UDJkCvHOWgY/TXpJ8rIMD2I/AAAAAAAAAs0/tAYIvSqjM-8/s1600/DSCF0393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UDJkCvHOWgY/TXpJ8rIMD2I/AAAAAAAAAs0/tAYIvSqjM-8/s320/DSCF0393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After we met them and explained who we were, Pierre's mom ran into the house and pulled out a family photo of us we had sent to her 4 years ago. This photo below is of us comparing the kids now to their photo back then. It was so touching to see she still holds that photo in her hands. This is quite amazing and let me tell you why. Pierre lives in this lush valley but this valley is also one of the areas hit the hardest by the earthquake last year. The house you see is a temporary house built by the Red Cross. There original house fell into rubble on the ground right here in this spot. The wood frame shelter they now have sits on the same footing. It is amazing that amongst the rubble, our family photo is something they pulled out and kept. Luckily the family ran out and all survived with minor wounds.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sv1xmdZc1nY/TXpJx3M55BI/AAAAAAAAAsw/iSjvREKuQWw/s1600/DSCF0392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sv1xmdZc1nY/TXpJx3M55BI/AAAAAAAAAsw/iSjvREKuQWw/s320/DSCF0392.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We were able to see Pierre's dad too before he had to run off to work but here is a final picture of our two families together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uIaOgWBDQvc/TXpKN8uE6LI/AAAAAAAAAs4/H4qxmiVzFEs/s1600/DSCF0397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uIaOgWBDQvc/TXpKN8uE6LI/AAAAAAAAAs4/H4qxmiVzFEs/s320/DSCF0397.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pierre (next to me in the photo below) came with us on our trek back to the truck and we had a chance to chat. He is a sweet boy with a quick smile despite the fact that he had an infected tooth.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OGZP4fY7-s0/TXpLhw25cGI/AAAAAAAAAtI/1Wz1ryHHaFc/s1600/DSCF0404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OGZP4fY7-s0/TXpLhw25cGI/AAAAAAAAAtI/1Wz1ryHHaFc/s320/DSCF0404.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Past the mountains and temporary houses with Frantz</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qtfabXGCkJQ/TXpLPXv5P2I/AAAAAAAAAtE/tue7fwfs1rI/s1600/DSCF0403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qtfabXGCkJQ/TXpLPXv5P2I/AAAAAAAAAtE/tue7fwfs1rI/s320/DSCF0403.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Back at the car we showed Pierre his birthday present and read him his birthday card.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S8ix87-Nc4Y/TXplDN3yuMI/AAAAAAAAAtM/3zD5gdsa6nE/s1600/DSCF0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S8ix87-Nc4Y/TXplDN3yuMI/AAAAAAAAAtM/3zD5gdsa6nE/s320/DSCF0405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And off he went one happy little kid and a some new friends made. Praise God for this little boy in a valley beside the mountains.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-G11ivW0QXhI/TXplW5bTiHI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/fcRaVy4UF0c/s1600/DSCF0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-G11ivW0QXhI/TXplW5bTiHI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/fcRaVy4UF0c/s320/DSCF0409.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then it was off to find Djenica. who was 6 when we started sponsoring her and is now 11. We had quick success with this as the little steep climb up the side of a hill next to the road led us directly to her house. Here is her broken house from the earthquake more than one year later. The inner rooms are still intact but the outer rooms stand open, a grim reminder of the past.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UsMDqk-Z0kw/TXpnNFsbhrI/AAAAAAAAAto/9_UBaMF_A3o/s1600/DSCF0421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UsMDqk-Z0kw/TXpnNFsbhrI/AAAAAAAAAto/9_UBaMF_A3o/s320/DSCF0421.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is Djenica with her only sibling a little brother.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5dlJmRQ32pc/TXpmWHF0e0I/AAAAAAAAAtg/t7fzaQCDmTU/s1600/DSCF0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5dlJmRQ32pc/TXpmWHF0e0I/AAAAAAAAAtg/t7fzaQCDmTU/s320/DSCF0417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Her father explains how the house broke and how they narrowly escaped and we talk about their family.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--OejgxFBQ_M/TXpmjYg6qNI/AAAAAAAAAtk/W4XJm-SsQtA/s1600/DSCF0418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--OejgxFBQ_M/TXpmjYg6qNI/AAAAAAAAAtk/W4XJm-SsQtA/s320/DSCF0418.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here we give her photos of our family while her excited father and Aunt look on. Our kids had a big part of choosing things to bless her with and so were excited to share some of their things with her.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-N4eyapAl-JY/TXpl9bUN16I/AAAAAAAAAtY/vVzOxKPXOU8/s1600/DSCF0413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-N4eyapAl-JY/TXpl9bUN16I/AAAAAAAAAtY/vVzOxKPXOU8/s320/DSCF0413.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is a family photo of us all (except her mom who was washing at the water hole) before we left. Poor Djenica who was feeling ill that day stood for the photo but found it hard to break a smile, not that Ana did much better :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aF1hYfgd7Nc/TXpmHSyv6jI/AAAAAAAAAtc/asOtMajjYlc/s1600/DSCF0415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aF1hYfgd7Nc/TXpmHSyv6jI/AAAAAAAAAtc/asOtMajjYlc/s320/DSCF0415.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was such a blessing to be able to see these two children that we have prayed for all this time. Not only did we get to meet them, but we got to meet their whole families and visit their homes too. We wanted to not only sponsor them but also build relationships with them and let them know God cares about them so much he brought us together across the globe. It was fantastic to be able to speak their language and connect with them in that way.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Praise God we finally made the visit!</div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-9163211348298861682011-03-11T10:38:00.000-05:002011-03-11T10:38:16.639-05:00What's up????<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It has been one of those no blog months! Yikes.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ok so I am still learning to ride the motorbike but no falls since!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is an update on life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Grayden had an adventure as he bit into something and half of his molar came off. Not being able to remember if he had already lost that tooth, we could not decide if it was an adult tooth (a lot of dental work needed) or a baby tooth (no big deal). Praise God there happened to be a visiting dentist that week! In our new dental suite at the clinic (wow progression), he was able to consult with Grayden to let us know it was in fact a baby tooth and he could either take out the rest of the tooth, or Grayden could start wiggling and get it out himself. Grayden was quick to choose wiggling it himself :)&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UFyybzorvdE/TXo4LfRT-WI/AAAAAAAAAsc/BNGTRE3RnUU/s1600/IMG_0470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UFyybzorvdE/TXo4LfRT-WI/AAAAAAAAAsc/BNGTRE3RnUU/s400/IMG_0470.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My mom always complains that Laurens never takes pictures of his work at Mission of Hope. So here are a few. Below there is a windmill that is part of a big water project that has just been completed at Mission of Hope. It is a system of integrating well water and rain water to collect for our cisterns. You can learn more from Laurens' point of view on the MOH blog that he wrote (click on mission of hope on the right).&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ek0XPFJ5UC4/TXo4CaIA9DI/AAAAAAAAAsY/VzCRHBVPOTQ/s1600/IMG_0465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ek0XPFJ5UC4/TXo4CaIA9DI/AAAAAAAAAsY/VzCRHBVPOTQ/s400/IMG_0465.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The picture below is a picture of homes that we are building for earthquake victims. The people going into these homes have been living in temporary housing for over a year. It is a master planned community that we have planned for 500 homes.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xGhpOjoZT0U/TXo4oyxTvYI/AAAAAAAAAsg/aI7qTodNU3A/s1600/DSCF0426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xGhpOjoZT0U/TXo4oyxTvYI/AAAAAAAAAsg/aI7qTodNU3A/s400/DSCF0426.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Below you will see one of our crews building latrines. This is a great picture both for development but also for community health. You will notice that with all our construction we hire national workers and we supplement with visiting teams to do the "easy stuff" like painting etc. I love the fact that here at Mission of Hope, we provide jobs for so many.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MksIOR06znw/TXo4zM2JzaI/AAAAAAAAAsk/fNbF1cHBBJg/s1600/DSCF0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MksIOR06znw/TXo4zM2JzaI/AAAAAAAAAsk/fNbF1cHBBJg/s400/DSCF0429.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I have been busy training and creating modules within the community health program. Here you can see myself and one of our Haitian nurses educating a small village in the mountains how to protect themselves from Cholera and other diarrheal diseases. We love visiting the remote areas to educate people on how to prevent disease from a cultural and spiritual perspective.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K1vdRJ-NL-s/TXo5tN0XyII/AAAAAAAAAso/TmA3BdN2upI/s1600/IMG_1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K1vdRJ-NL-s/TXo5tN0XyII/AAAAAAAAAso/TmA3BdN2upI/s400/IMG_1043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We have a lot of new things going on here since we have so many more staff living and working with us. We have a couples bible study, a kids devotion and games night, young life program with the orphanage and staff kids, ladies night (no men allowed) etc. The kids also got their first term report cards and they all did fantastic! We are looking forward to taking a week break in Dominican soon if we can make it there without the twins getting sick (they get car sick!) Look for our next blog on the amazing adventure of finding our sponsored kids (kids we had sponsored before even knowing about Mission of Hope) from an organization called New Missions in another part of Haiti.&nbsp;</div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-47417712495773658342011-02-13T20:52:00.000-05:002011-02-13T20:52:24.426-05:00Motorcycle adventuresYesterday was my day to learn how to ride a motorbike. These are the things we do on our days off on a Sunday...<br /><br />Some of you know I have wanted to learn for a while and have always meant to take the course at home but never got around to it before moving to Haiti (right Tracy?). Well I wait no longer!<br /><br />Through a mission friend Laurens has got a <a href="http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/1732273/">couple</a> <a href="http://www.bikepics.com/pictures/1732273/">bikes</a> that he uses to toot around the mission. I had one small lesson with Laurens previous but yesterday I had time to learn and practice.<br /><br />As many of you know, I like to tackle things head on so I figure let's learn how to ride a motorbike in Haiti, on the rocks (some of them boulder's actually), down/up a mountain hill with a lot of corners! Laurens assures me that if I can learn on this, then when I learn a bike in Canada it will be a piece of cake :)<br /><br />My ATV driving years have helped. I only fell once. OK I was getting the hang of letting out the clutch and giving it gas in first gear and for the most part only stalled it. It was when I decided to rectify that and give it more gas (too much) that it leapt from me and I did a graceful tumble off. Graceful it may have originally felt but the landing on pointed rocks and unforgiving ground did NOT feel good. Bruised left hip, left hand, left knee and right elbow.......not bad!<br /><br />After my tumble it was try, try again. I was able to drive the rough terrain quite a bit and started to get used to the bike. When I felt that my clutch hand could go no further, Laurens told me to ride it home. For those of you who have been here you know that riding it home from the hospital means riding it up a very steep, long rocky road with huge gutters.... then at the top, it means turning a corner on loose gravel, big rocks, and in the middle of a gutter. No problem I thought, just scrape me off the ground when you get there.<br /><br />With the security guards and orphanage kids cheering me along the way,&nbsp;I made it all the way to the top and brought it to the perfect stop at home. I have a long way to go but am off to a good start ;) Another great day in Haiti.<br /><br />CherylLaurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-59435184288863534552011-02-03T06:11:00.000-05:002011-02-03T06:11:26.092-05:00Haiti Documentary<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Hey Haiti supporters,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Tomorrow night is the scheduled time for the Haiti documentary one year after the quake on CHCH news. It will air at 10pm on CHCH and then posted to their website soon after. There will be coverage of both Mission of Hope and us among others. We hope you enjoy it! You will all see it before us as we do not have Canadian TV and we can not download videos easily so let us know if it was good :)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">God Bless and thanks to all who are still helping us with our efforts for the Lord in Haiti.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;">Cheryl and Laurens</span>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-56706668195564015622011-01-17T21:08:00.002-05:002011-01-17T21:12:52.256-05:00CHCH News Haiti Update<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">Hi everyone,</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;">Many of you have been watching <a href="http://www.chch.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">CHCH News</span></a> coverage of our family over the past year. Here is a little clip they did after they just got back to Canada. More to follow will be their follow up documentary around Jan 28th.</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;">Have a great day.&nbsp;</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;">You can view the clip here: <a href="http://ow.ly/3FrKi"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">CHCH News - Back from Haiti</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica;">Cheryl and Laurens</div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-31087754489310518322011-01-10T23:04:00.008-05:002011-01-12T23:52:56.971-05:00Preparation for the memoriesTonight I am sitting in my yard. The beautiful tropical trees we planted 2 years ago over barren ground now strong and majestic, are whispering softly in the wind. It is a beautiful night. The moon lies directly in front of me half covered by cloud, peaking through like a sleepy eye half covered by an eyelid. It glows an eery orange but it takes my breath away. As I look up I am surrounded by a million stars, their constellations forming beautiful pictures across the night sky. The black sky so vast and endless.&nbsp;Everything seems so still and powerful.<br /><br /><br />It is such a contrast to one year ago. The day our world shook. The day nothing stood still. The day when all that we counted on to be strong, fell. January 12th 2010. The day we will never forget.<br /><br /><br />We can not really believe that it has been almost one year since that dreadful earthquake. Since the day lives were stamped out and families lives were changed forever. We can not believe it has been a year since we lost that innocent trust in the soil and since we helped and saw so many crushed bodies.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TSvVj9wYZ1I/AAAAAAAAAoE/oNDnbUKKZvw/s1600/haiti.10.02.16.0691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TSvVj9wYZ1I/AAAAAAAAAoE/oNDnbUKKZvw/s400/haiti.10.02.16.0691.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Taken By: Alex Albojer</td></tr></tbody></table><br />As we prepare for Wed... the memorials and the memories, we look back on a year marred by tragedy and pain. A year of destruction and sorrow. A year of faith tested yet strengthened. And we look forward to a year of hope, regeneration and a future.<br /><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Click on the following links for information about what is happening at Mission of Hope:</span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.mohhaiti.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">*** New *** Mission of Hope website</span></span></a></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gJt1yy9KEQ"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Mission of Hope on YouTube</span></span></a></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mohhaiti"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Mission of Hope on Facebook</span></span></a></div></div></div></span><br /><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TSuqUmvN1xI/AAAAAAAAAn8/Czpa13nCAo0/s1600/MOHFTC-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TSuqUmvN1xI/AAAAAAAAAn8/Czpa13nCAo0/s640/MOHFTC-2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="492" /></span></span></a></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TSuruvC_FGI/AAAAAAAAAoA/CqOfgPGGAOc/s1600/MOHFTC-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TSuruvC_FGI/AAAAAAAAAoA/CqOfgPGGAOc/s640/MOHFTC-1.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="494" /></span></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/7gJt1yy9KEQ/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7gJt1yy9KEQ&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7gJt1yy9KEQ&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> </span></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-91255719536321693522011-01-12T22:39:00.003-05:002011-01-12T23:20:59.373-05:00Closure<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today was a tough day. It is hard to write this blog as really I am at a loss of words to say. Today was the first day I visited the mass grave. I have not been able to emotionally visit it before now but it was time. Laurens and I slipped away together for some private closure and Laurens was reminded of the last time he had been. That time he had seen the rows and rows of pits full of bodies.&nbsp;</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5fo1lCLXI/AAAAAAAAAoY/1kukFo8W034/s1600/DSCF0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5fo1lCLXI/AAAAAAAAAoY/1kukFo8W034/s400/DSCF0361.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The massive area more than 70 000 people are dumped to rest in mass graves</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">The crosses stood in rows and I was reminded of the poem “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields">In Flanders Fields</a>”. They represent almost 300 000 people who lost their lives 1 year ago.&nbsp; A large cross sits atop the hill that looks over the site of the mass grave like a soldier standing firm. The banner stretching out beside it reads, "12 Janvye Nou Pap Janm Bliye" (12 January We Will Never Forget...). Another large cross commemorates those lost; the base it stands on only partially finished by the time the anniversary comes around, a small reminder that is typical of Haiti.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5ehS-UpkI/AAAAAAAAAoM/yhhZmvzylJg/s1600/SAM_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5ehS-UpkI/AAAAAAAAAoM/yhhZmvzylJg/s400/SAM_0252.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hundreds of crosses commemorate the dead</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5ewCUWnVI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/_pkQ0B8AaT0/s1600/SAM_0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5ewCUWnVI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/_pkQ0B8AaT0/s320/SAM_0259.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cross on the hill<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5eMJ2Fg2I/AAAAAAAAAoI/hfQW7dsrXyY/s1600/SAM_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5eMJ2Fg2I/AAAAAAAAAoI/hfQW7dsrXyY/s320/SAM_0233.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lone Cross</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">People are scattered around, some curious visitors but most grieving people like us, mourning the loss of so many. We connect with a lady who cries out, “<i>Se’m te mouri</i>!!” which means, “My sister died”. She shares her story of how her sister’s house fell on her, her body lying limp in the street. She tells us of the dump trucks coming and picking up all the bodies including her sister’s before she could figure out how to do a funeral for her. No closure. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I think that is what we are all looking for today. Closure. We are ready to move on but it is hard and today is a grim reminder of the pain. The memories of the injured and dead flood back while looking across the graves. The memories of the stench of decaying bodies under buildings flood back and I question the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> behind the bible telling us in the days before the Lord returns there will be earthquakes in the lands.</div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5eMJ2Fg2I/AAAAAAAAAoI/hfQW7dsrXyY/s1600/SAM_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />This morning I left my ER radio and phone behind for 2 hours. I thought I could get away with it. I mostly could but nearing the 2 hour mark, I was summoned out of church to help with an ER case.<br />Our visiting paramedic, doc and resident nurses dealt with the emergency under Laurens' direction/help so thankfully I was only needed to secure a transfer location. I was surprised by my mind's reaction. There was nothing out of the ordinary with this case and I did not have to be involved much but for a short time, it brought back the fear of the earthquake and the sorrow and pain of the more than 150 trauma victims we treated exactly one year ago today. Seeing this woman lying there under a white clinic sheet not responsive was a grave reminder of the past.<br /><br />Our mission had two special church services today. I am struck again by the tenacity of our Haitian friends' lives. Their strength to move on. The joy in their worship of God who by His grace allowed us all to be standing in the church today. Their thankfulness to be alive, to have crawled out of broken buildings or to have just stepped outside moments before their building crashed down. Their thankfulness to be walking and breathing when so many are not. Their praise of God in His awesome power that they have a chance to still make a difference in the lives of others. We have been given a second chance. Life is so precious and can be gone in a second. We have learned over the past 2 1/2 years here in Haiti that each day is a gift and we must use it wisely.<br /><br />As we looked out across the vast gravesite today we mourned. We wept. We prayed. We have been forever changed and we hope never to forget......<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5e9bW4kxI/AAAAAAAAAoU/U6tprAvqjIg/s1600/SAM_0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TS5e9bW4kxI/AAAAAAAAAoU/U6tprAvqjIg/s400/SAM_0262.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closure</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Please visit the <a href="http://www.mohhaiti.org/">Mission of Hope</a> website for more anniversary coverage (<a href="http://www.mohhaiti.org/">www.mohhaiti.org</a>).</div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-54205649230341047792010-12-28T13:45:00.002-05:002010-12-28T13:46:26.261-05:00Yolande Clerge ?/08/80 - 17/12/10When we first met Yolande Clerge she seemed like a young woman with a lot of anger. A woman with a lot of frustrations. A woman who had lived a hard life and was immersed in voodoo beliefs. As Ana and Mina's birth mother, she had not seen the girls in a few years.<br /><br />Our search for her began when God told us to adopt the twins. In Haiti you have to first find out if the abandoned child has a mother, and then you need to either produce the mother or produce a death certificate. Not only do you have to produce the mother, you also have to produce her birth certificate and identity card and have her sign her children away.<br /><br />Our search began with the girls father. A man whom we had tracked down through connections at the Haitian orphanage they were living at. Their parents had not talked to each other for a while and he was reluctant to find Yolande. Penniless and blind in one eye, he was afraid she would be mad at him to know the twins had been living in orphanages for the past 2 years. She was.<br /><br />We remember the day we first met her. We sat in the adoption orphanage room while the adoption lawyer talked to her about what an adoption was and meant. That it meant her girls who were living in extreme poverty, who were dirty, malnourished and sickly would have a future. That they would be healthy, well fed and be given an education. We remember how mad she was at the father for not telling her where they had been for the past 2 years after she left them. She had a lot to absorb in a short period of time. We remember her questions such as "will the blan (white people) rip out their hearts and eat them?" (a voodoo belief). We remember the father telling her what a blessing this was. At the end of the information session she agreed to sign for the adoption.<br /><br />The next time we saw her was to take her to the lawyers and to social services where she would sign. We picked her up and dropped her off at the lawyers. We waited in the waiting room for a bit, excited that today this young lady with 6 kids living in poverty in a slum in Port-au-Prince would be giving 2 of her children the best chance at life. All of a sudden the lawyer emerged seeming really frustrated. It did not look good. She said Yolande would not sign today since the girls looked so healthy (they had been in our care for 2 months) she thought she could take them back and they would stay healthy like that forever. They could help her take care of the other kids. She also stated other voodoo related beliefs with respect to the kids and us. Our hearts sank. We knew that if she took them back, they would just end up in that terrible orphanage again because she had no means to take care of them. They gave her until Dec 17th 2009 to make the final decision.<br /><br />During the next month, we started to pray for this young woman. So lost and so lonely. So broken and so overwhelmed. Living in a slum with 2 other kids in her care. Her other children scattered around. No husband, and being used by other men around her. We prayed that God would intervene in her life. That God's plan would reveal itself. We knew without a doubt that God wanted these girls in our family so we could only trust that He had a plan. We prayed that God would show her His love. That she would listen to God's voice and not those that surround her with the voodoo voice of Satan. That she would be cleansed and relieved of her anger and feel the peace of God. The night of Dec 16th 2009, the eve of the day she was to sign or refuse to sign, our group of missionaries prayed that God would intervene in her life that night. It was all we could do.<br /><br />The next day, Dec 17th 2009, we saw a new Yolande. The Yolande that will forever be in our hearts. The Yolande that God has always seen, a child of God. Expecting the worst, we saw her walk to the car as we were to take her to sign for the adoption. As we laid our eyes upon her we saw she had a huge smile on her face! She looked totally different. She radiated. We asked her how she was and she said, "Great! Mme Laurens (Cheryl), you will never guess what happened last night! Last night I had a vision from God. I heard a knock at my door and as it opened I saw you standing there and I heard God's voice. He said "<b><i>I have sent this woman to you</i></b>". After that I let you in and we had tea together. Now I know you are from God and I am so blessed that you are going to adopt my children. What a blessing this is!"<br /><br />This was the first step in her transformation for Jesus. After she signed that day, we saw her one more time before the earthquake of Jan 2010. She was still happy and pleased with the adoption. After the earthquake, we did not know if she was alive or dead. She lived right in the area of most damage in Port-au-Prince. If she had died we would have no way to find her body and therefore get a death certificate hence possibly making the adoption process years or impossible. Finally we got a phone call. She was alive! The house she was squatting in collapsed missing her and her other children. Instead of being devastated, scared or crying we heard the smile in her voice as she told us the story, "My friend was always trying to get me to go to her church and I always told her no. After the vision I started to think about God more. After the earthquake I had no home to go to so <b><i>guess where i am living????", s</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">he yelled. "<i><b>In the church</b></i>! God wanted me to go to church so bad he broke my house and now I am in the church!!" We laughed at her enthusiasm.&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Since then we have gotten to know Yolande as an extension of our family. We see her from time to time and help her out with her needs, keeping tabs on her other children and teaching her about Jesus. We helped her to get her other child out of her bad orphanage and back home. We limit the girls access to her as this is confusing for them mentally but we share pictures and occasional visits with them.&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The last time we saw Yolande was just a few weeks ago. She called us in a panic, "Everyone around me has cholera, I don't know what to do." I (Cheryl) told her to come and see me. When she arrived I taught her all the cholera preventative information that we teach in our community health program. We went over early detection, what to do as soon as she sees symptoms, how to make oral rehydration salts at home and how she needs to go to a centre right away, how to wash her hands properly, how to cook her food properly, how to teat her water and how to disinfect etc etc. I gave her money to buy bleach, soap, sugar and salt (to make the ORS). She left feeling better.</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">On Dec 16th 2010 we got a call from the girls Haitian father saying Yolande and 2 of the children had cholera and were in a treatment centre. As we are having less deaths in centres now than before, we thought she might be OK since she had made it to a centre. On the other hand, we knew that it might be too late.&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">She died the next day from cholera.... Dec 17th 2010; exactly one year to the day she had the vision from God, exactly one year from the day she first let a ray of Jesus into her heart and exactly one year to the day, she signed the paper giving her permission for the adoption of Ana and Mina. We never got to see her before she died. We were there only after. We know that she died knowing we were praying for her. She lived through a life of poverty, abuse, malnutrition, earthquake, hurricanes, only to be taken by a curable disease in one swift day. She was 6-7 months pregnant.&nbsp;</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">We are thankful that God knows things long before we do. We are thankful that He had our special children in his plan long ago, knowing that their birth mother would die before long. We are thankful he did not give up on Yolande as a child of God and we are thankful to be a part of showing her Jesus before she died. We praise God for the life of this woman and her wonderful transformation. May she rest in peace with our great Lord.</span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Yolande Clerge &nbsp; ?/08/80 -17/12/10</span></b><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TRok8NcNZpI/AAAAAAAAAng/Nxf1amGJRJ4/s1600/DSC02556.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TRok8NcNZpI/AAAAAAAAAng/Nxf1amGJRJ4/s320/DSC02556.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yolande 2 weeks before her death</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-84221253788825653662010-12-24T23:22:00.000-05:002010-12-24T23:22:32.214-05:00The end of the most eventful year of our lives......ever........we hope<div style="font-family: Helvetica;"><div>Thank you to all who have supported us through this difficult year. We thank God to know each and everyone of you. We feel blessed to have you sharing the love of Jesus with us in the country of Haiti. Thank you for your financial support and thank you for your prayers. Together we are making a difference in Haiti.</div><div><br /></div><div>This year has been the most eventful of our lives so far that is for sure!. The devastating earthquake in January, disaster relief coordination of the aftermath (one of the greatest human tragedy's of our time), mass trauma accidents (without enough resources), building of temporary hospital's and living quarters, building new homes for those that have lost theirs, our girls adoptions and Canadian visa's, their first trip to Canada, the cholera epidemic, the death of our girls Haitian mother (will write more on the next blog) and now election turmoil violence and blockades. We are not done yet with this 2010 year as our girls VISA's are expired and they are again stuck in Haiti until Canada issues us their passports (a delay due to election rioting). Whew. It has been an emotionally draining and character building year, but we hold on to those experiences and thank God for helping us grow through them. We thank God for creating better people out of us through the events of this year.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite all the death and trauma and homelessness and constant troubles the Haitian people have to endure, today was a great day of celebration. All throughout our area, people had smiles on their faces with a joy that reached their eyes and deep within their hearts. They were celebrating the birth of Jesus and thanking God for the blessings in their lives. It was a great day of hugging your neighbour and wishing them Merry Christmas. A great day of telling others how much you appreciate them and glad you are they are in your life. For so many, they are praising God for the sheer fact that they have made it through this year alive. Let us tell you in this country this year, that truly is a blessing. All in all it was a great day of friends and family and well wishes.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>We pray that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas. We pray that you will not get too caught up in the materialism of the season and that you will realize how intensely blessed you are to be alive (300 000 in Haiti died this year from earthquake related deaths). How intensely blessed you are to have a home (1.2 million people in Haiti are&nbsp;<i>newly</i>&nbsp;homeless). How intensely blessed you are to have a job (80% of Haitian's are unemployed and the average person lives on $2/day). We pray that you realize how intensely blessed you are to have a family that loves you (there are 800 000 orphans in Haiti) and how blessed you are to be free (even the few Haitian people that get a passport still need to pass rigorous standards for a visa to enter&nbsp;<i>any</i>&nbsp;country in the world). We pray that God speaks to your heart this Christmas and sets a fire of intense love for Him and His people. That He will show you His purpose for your life in this world and that you will act on that. There is no greater gift than the gift of salvation God has given you through the birth of His son Jesus and we pray that you will have the courage to tell others.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>We wish you the best of Christmases and a great start to 2011.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TRVuMlevqKI/AAAAAAAAAlo/zVLi_EaaCuA/s1600/IMG_1181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TRVuMlevqKI/AAAAAAAAAlo/zVLi_EaaCuA/s400/IMG_1181.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-6662894525910334282010-11-29T15:44:00.000-05:002010-11-29T15:44:43.507-05:00Haiti daysTime for an update!<br />We made it back to Haiti Oct 26th. It was so great to be back home to our own house and our own beds and our dog Trigger! We of course were not naive to what may be in store. :)<br /><br />Our dog: Conveniently thought he would sport fleas for our return. Thoughtfully, he thought he would share those fleas with us by sleeping on our beds in our absence. How nice.<br /><br />Our house: During our absence a few inhabitants thought they would move in for a while. A small cockroach family under our sink, a mouse family in our cupboard (mama thought she would surprise us with her new babies that day), another mouse family behind the stove and 2 sets of mouse families in our Christmas tree box. The last unwelcome guests; a cupboard full of termites in the wood.<br /><br />Work for day one after a long flight home: Spray all beds for fleas. Wash all sheets and covers, kill mice, kill cockroaches, kill more mice, spray termites, kill more mice, set traps for the rest of the mice, throw out mouse peed/pooped on Christmas tree. Whew!<br /><br />Ahh home sweet home.<br /><br />Since then many of you have been asking about how things have been going here in Haiti with all you have been hearing on the news.<br /><br />Cholera: Yes it is all around us but thankfully has not hit our immediate villages too hard. It is to the North of us, to the NW of us and now to the East of us. We have been on standby but have not had to open a cholera treatment centre in our immediate vicinity. We have seen cases in our clinic and transported them out to treatment centres and we have been actively sending personnel and helping in cholera treatment centres close by. It is a terrible situation and already over 1600 people have died because of it. People are scared for sure.<br /><br />Hurricane Tomas: Our other welcome back to Haiti was Hurricane Tomas. At first it was heading straight for us but then as prayers went up, it turned and went West of the island. There was some damage in western parts of Haiti for sure but it was not nearly as bad as we all expected. Praise God. The people in tents just would not have survived.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TPQAdmDklKI/AAAAAAAAAlU/j3X1vEg646s/s1600/DSCF0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TPQAdmDklKI/AAAAAAAAAlU/j3X1vEg646s/s320/DSCF0252.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paramedics, Laurens and I braving the winds in Tomas</td></tr></tbody></table>Community Health: This is my new focus this year in Haiti. I was coming back knowing that I will be creating and launching MOH's new community health program. The goal is to have a program Haitian run and lead by the time I am done. Little did I know that it would be life saving with an immediate impact.<br />We have educated over 7000 people in 9 different villages over the past 2 weeks on cholera prevention and treatment, hygiene and sanitation. Ears were more closed to these messages before but God is using this horrible epidemic to open the ears to sanitation information.&nbsp;Thankfully Cholera is an illness where we can literally save lives by teaching prevention education.&nbsp;People are so eager to learn and I have great Haitian nurses and community ladies to work with and through. I am so fortunate to know the language and to be able to work with national people to get the message across in a culturally relevant way to them.<br />Yesterday and the day before we travelled to the mountains to teach in the schools. It was music to my ears to hear students, parents and members of the community all singing our hand washing song at the top of their lungs with smiles on their faces. Of course.....I forgot my camera.....man!<br /><br />Site Management: Laurens is working to put systems in place to help the whole mission run more effectively. He is working with a Haitian counterpart to empower proactive thinking with operations of the site. He has a full time American builder who is now here full time who is dealing with the construction side of things so this is a huge help for Laurens with all the post earthquake building etc that needs to be done. We are both enjoying working mostly with only Haitians now.<br /><br />The Elections: We have been fine here and there have been no problems in our area. There are parts of PAP and Cap Haitian that have had demonstrations and many people are frustrated with the corruption surrounding the elections yesterday. Today no one showed up to work as people are afraid and the tap taps are not running. The next few months will be unsettled for sure and our movements will have to be limited but time will tell depending on how things pan out over the next few weeks to months. We are keeping a close eye on the situation.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TPQFK7CcyNI/AAAAAAAAAlc/o3f0JXGTHC8/s1600/DSCF0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TPQFK7CcyNI/AAAAAAAAAlc/o3f0JXGTHC8/s320/DSCF0318.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys and their new friends on a mountain hike</td></tr></tbody></table>Family: The twins had their 7th birthday in November, my (Cheryl's) parents came for a week visit and we celebrated American Thanksgiving with our staff yesterday. The kids have settled back into school and home well and they are all doing great. The kids have 2 new boys in their class this year and that has been a blessing for Grayden and Bridgely. Laurens and I feel like a weight has been lifted after our break in Canada (it was so great to spend time with family, friends and our church family) and we feel God's healing power over us. We feel refreshed and ready to continue His great work here in Haiti. We know that this past year will be with us always in more ways than one and some days are still difficult with memories but we have learned and grown so much from it.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TPQAsufSbHI/AAAAAAAAAlY/AlYsTXp3w9M/s1600/DSCF0284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TPQAsufSbHI/AAAAAAAAAlY/AlYsTXp3w9M/s320/DSCF0284.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ana and Mina's 7th birthday in Haiti<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Our Car: Well someone smashed into the back side of our car but thankfully everyone was fine. $2700 dollars in damage to squeeze out of insurance that we hope they pay. (I don't know anyone that has gone longer than 5months without at least a bump like this.)&nbsp;Such is driving in Haiti. Those of you that have been here and seen the driving are nodding your heads saying, "yup, I can see that".<br /><br />Thanks to all who are continuing this journey with us and please pray for safety and the end to Cholera over the next few weeks/months.Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-46787767379349152342010-09-13T22:10:00.002-05:002010-09-13T23:09:59.393-05:00"When tomorrow comes....." Oh wait! It's here!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TI7teEiqiHI/AAAAAAAAAkg/Lx1_jC2cCiw/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TI7teEiqiHI/AAAAAAAAAkg/Lx1_jC2cCiw/s320/photo.jpg" /></a></div>So for those of you that have been following our recent saga. Here is the best update I have for you. Laurens and the girls are finally coming to Canada!! As our senior pastor at the Meeting House put it: "YYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"<br /><br />How this happened was incredible. As you know, we were going to have to go to Dominican to get a visa or wait 19 weeks to get the citizenship visa.....as of this morning. With Laurens' flights booked tomorrow the possibility of them coming this week was looking slim, again.<br /><br />However, God had other plans. Due to some e-mails we sent (we think) and the fact that they knew of our case after the earthquake, Citizenship and Immigration Canada coordinated with immigration Canada in Port-au-Prince and sent them the approved paperwork they needed directly bypassing the next 19 weeks!!. Praise God. Never did I really think that they would get this done prior to this weeks flight. It was amazing. It made the 5 hours on the phone and e-mail Friday afternoon worth it for sure.<br /><br />We feel like we have been running a long long race and I can never say the finish line is here, but we have at least almost reached a rest stop. We are so happy to have all we need and look forward to being together in rest.<br /><br />Thank you thank you thank you to all our prayer partners. We know that you have helped so much. It was so interesting to see the number of e-mails we spontaneously got today of people saying they were thinking about us and praying for us today specifically. God had placed a burden on many people's hearts to pray over this situation today and so many were faithful. Thank you. Thank you for how you have touched our lives.<br /><br />This morning I was having my quiet time with God and like usual I prayed that I would see the scripture through the eyes of the Holy Spirit living within me and not with my own eyes. Today it lead me to a passage of Abraham's faith. In Romans 4, Paul explains Abraham's faith as believing in God. This is not believing in the sense that He believes God is real, he <i><b>knows</b></i>&nbsp;God is real. Rather, it is the believing of when you believe&nbsp;<i><b>in</b></i> someone. Like you trust them completely that they will do what they say they will. If God calls Abraham the father of <i><b>faith</b></i>&nbsp;and of all who <i><b>believe</b>&nbsp;</i>in God, then I wanted to know more.&nbsp;In&nbsp;verse 18 it says "<i>E</i><i><b>ven when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping"</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">&nbsp;I wanted to know how so I kept reading, Verse 18-19 "</span><b>- believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That is how many descendants you will have!"And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead - and so was Sarah's womb." </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">OK now this is what gave me hope. Abraham did not give up his hope in what God had said to him even after YEARS. He was 100 and still waiting for babies.....This was very humbling as I had found myself complaining to God about my short end of the stick for 8 months, only 8 months!......So I read on; &nbsp;Verse 20- 22 "</span><b>Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. " </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">So this put a question to me. Did God promise something to me? Yes he did. He clearly made a path for us the last 8 months and he clearly laid a path to tell us what He had planned for us over these few months (that is a different story).&nbsp;</span><b>&nbsp;</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">So the question was then was&nbsp;<b>I</b>&nbsp;fully convinced that God is able to do what He promises like Abraham? I realized that I was part way there, but I needed to fully commit. I needed to fully believe in the being of God, I needed to trust His integrity, His character, His faithfulness, His power. I knelt down and prayed. I gave Him all of my trust, all of my problems, all of my worry and had a peace come over me as I fully <b><i>believed</i></b>&nbsp;in Him, that He would fulfil His promise according to His will and timing. I continued the last part of this chapter and I read in Verse 22-24, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous.&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in Him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">I wanted God to count me righteous too because I fully have faith in Him that he will do as He promises.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></i><br /><br /><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Today I receive righteousness from God. Today He also fulfilled His promise as He knew He would. He did not make it easy. He does not promise to. Look at Abraham, he was 100 when God still had not fulfilled His promise for children! But He did fulfill his promise as He always will in His perfect timing.&nbsp;In recording this for you, as it says here in Romans, I pray that you too will be called righteous for your faith - </span><b>believing</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"> in the person of Jesus Christ, God the awesome father and the Holy Spirit that dwells within you. He is the real deal and you can trust in Him fully. I can honestly say that my faith is stronger because of this and that brings glory to God. I pray that God will be glorified further by our story.</span></span></span></span></i>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-19826368091323504862010-09-12T00:31:00.000-05:002010-09-12T00:31:50.856-05:00Our girls are finally van der Mark's...but the saga continuesPraise God! Ana and Mina are officially van der Mark's! Laurens is relieved to now have all of the official adoption papers in hand and the girls passports. Yea! We are very excited that they are officially part of our family. We feel so blessed that from something so horrible (devastating earthquake), things were sped up for us in this process and we have our little girls.<br /><br />We were so excited in fact that Laurens thought he would have no problem getting back to Canada on Tues. so we booked his flights. All he had to do was go to the Canadian embassy to get the travel Visa and he would be off. But wait!! It could not be that easy could it? It could not be like they said after the earthquake. "As soon as you get the following documents, bring them all in and we will issue you a travel visa right away". Of course not!<br /><br />Upon arriving he was told that a little while ago they stopped doing travel visas to Canada for Haitian's from the Canadian Embassy in Port au Prince........due to the damage in the building, they had decided to move this service to.....Santo Domingo Dominican Republic (8 hours away). They forgot to tell us.<br /><br />So here we are stuck again. They will only issue Laurens a <b>citizenship</b> Visa for the girls provided we have Part 1 of our citizenship approval in hand that comes from Nova Scotia. OK, this we have applied for. Good! This was supposed to be at our place in Canada before Friday. It was not! Bad! We called and were told that instead of the 8 weeks they stated on the letter, they are on a <b>27 week</b> delay for citizenship part 1 approvals. We have 19 weeks to go! :(<br /><br />We have put out e-mails to all our contacts and are praying that <i>someone</i> will know a way to get Citizenship and Immigration Canada to give the approval now instead of 19 weeks from now.....we are so close to reprieve yet so far.....God only knows why, but we know there is a reason. <b><i>If you have any pull in this department or have any ideas, please do not hesitate to contact us.</i></b><br /><br />Our desire is to have time to heal in Canada as a family before heading back to Haiti where we will continue the work God has for us there. If you are new to this blog, we encourage you to read through the last few blogs to see the work we have done pre earthquake, through the time of the devastating earthquake, and the aftermath up to now. You may get a tiny glimpse of why we feel we need some time &nbsp;off.<br /><br />&nbsp;"<i>Oh how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!"&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Romans 11:33</span></i>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-55106882149404126132010-09-06T22:42:00.001-05:002010-09-06T22:45:39.208-05:00The drama continuesI know many of you are wondering if Laurens and the girls have made it to Canada yet. Don't worry. I will let you know when thy have made it!<br /><br />The drama continues as the process to get passports that should take a day has taken over 4 weeks. We are not surprised by this, only frustrated. Every day things are "so close" yet not finished. Through all this though we know that God has His perfect timing. There are so many little things that pop up that I can see God knows so much better than I. He works all things for our own good and we are trusting His word in that.<br /><br />Laurens now has verbal confirmation that both girls passports are completed. Yea!! Not a total sigh of relief for us yet as he still does not have any papers in his hands. That is when I will have a sigh of relief. When all papers that prove adoption and passports are in hand.<br /><br />Anyway, the latest drama is as follows. As you know, we are adopting identical twins. Now to me (knowing them intimately for a year) they don't look that identical anymore. To the untrained eye however......you can think you are talking to the same twin until she looks at you like you have two heads (this is because it is actually the other twin you were talking to earlier, and this twin has no idea what you are talking about). Well this is the problem in immigration today. <i>They do not believe it is two different children! </i>After they finished the passports, they said they have to do an "investigation" to make sure they are 2 separate children! Laurens is offering to bring the children in front of them to prove it (which he may have to do).<br /><br />I guess I am naive about why you would possibly want to do 2 adoptions and 2 passports for the same child. I am trying to think in devious terms and I can't even think of a corrupt reason why someone would do that. Sooooo anyway, with tomorrow's flight wilting away (flights now being only every Tues to Canada), this is where we stand. God can do a miracle and get the passport issue cleared, get all papers in hand, get Laurens to the Canadian consulate, get the travel visa, and have Laurens make it to the airport by 1:30pm tomorrow.....but we will be trusting in Him that He will do what is best for us.<br /><br />I have tried reasoning with God, I have cast Satan away (every step of the way), I have pleaded with God, I have read both old and new testament scripture to find out how others in a situation such as this pray, and I have worked through them all. Laurens and I have been away from each other for almost 2 and a half months at a time when we need to be healing together and I can only think God has a reason and a plan and I need to trust in Him. I know our reunion will be all the more sweeter because of it.<br /><br />Please pray that this investigation does not delay the situation for too long and that they would make it back soon. If you are a prayer warrior, tonight and tomorrow morning are great times to pray a ton for a miracle :)<br /><br />Please also pray for Laurens as he has hurt his back today lifting a huge gate that had fallen on a security guard. The guard was flattened and stuck under the gate. The gate crushed the guard's body breaking his finger and lower leg. SInce he could find no one else around to help at the time, Laurens had to lift and move the large and heavy fence off of the guard himself to relive the guard's pain and set him free.<br /><br />Just another day in Haiti<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TIWzMNaQJOI/AAAAAAAAAkY/mud0wrh1NLM/s1600/DSCF4304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TIWzMNaQJOI/AAAAAAAAAkY/mud0wrh1NLM/s320/DSCF4304.JPG" /></a>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-9182895391560855022010-08-24T22:25:00.000-05:002010-08-24T22:25:56.821-05:00Prayer updateComputers. I hate computers. OK it is a love hate relationship.&nbsp;Laurens has heard me say this many times.<br /><br />Today it is computers that now stand in our way of being reunited as a family in Canada. For those many of you who are asking for an update on the girls passports....we are still waiting.<br /><br />There is apparently a problem with the computer system in Haitian immigration keeping our girls passports from being completed but we are hoping it will be rectified soon. Please continue to pray for a miracle and that if it is God's will, that things will be done soon.<br /><br />We will keep you posted.<br /><br />For all those that have been so fantastically generous, THANK YOU!!! We have all the borrowed mattresses and temporary furniture that we need. Wow, I wish it was that easy to get stuff like this to our Haitian friends. We also have the funds in place for the flights. Praise God.<br /><br />Thank you to everyone!&nbsp;Bringing everyone here to heal will definitely be a team effort.<br /><br />"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterword they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." <i>James 1:12</i>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-943721059837296336.post-45205607507189039672010-08-20T10:45:00.000-05:002010-08-20T10:45:41.772-05:00Time to Heal<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"></span><br /><div>It is time for an update on our family and our crazy journey. After a harrowing 6 months, we have finally come back to Canada for a much needed rest. Like our friend Rachel, we did not have time to think to deal with the earthquake due to our busyness post quake. As others left around us, we continued to be strong and pushed forward, consumed by the intense work that we had to do. &nbsp;Slowly over the months, we started to get people in place to share the workload and we were able to prepare plans for moving forward.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the past 6 months, we had incorrectly assumed that we were dealing with the horrible trauma well. I in particular, had stuffed down deep inside all the death, mangled bodies, pain, suffering and smells that I had dealt with in order to function. I had ignored the effect of the massive traumatic truck accidents we continued to have after the earthquake. I had compartmentalized the grief, the wailing, the suffering of my patients, holding people while they die and the emotions that go along with it in order to function. In doing so, we reached a point where relationships started to suffer. We had no more emotional energy left for anyone outside of our family. I in particular had built up a wall of safety and security around my emotions so that the floodgates would not break. It was a protective mechanism as I was not yet ready to face the horrible images, smells and emotions that went along with the work I had to do after the earthquake. We had nothing left to give. It took Brad, the president of our mission to pull me aside and point out my lack of emotion towards other staff and some teams, to put a crack in the wall that did not want to be broken. Also like our friend Rachel, once things became more manageable at work, that crack started to open and we realized we had a lot to deal with.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since then it has been quite a journey for our family. We decided it was time for a break however as you all know, we are adopting Haitian twins who have been in our family for a year. Some of you know, that their paper work was ready to be submitted to the authorities Jan 10th (2 days before the earthquake). The papers were not submitted in time. We were faced with potentially years before they would be legally adopted (even pre earthquake it took 2 1/2 years typically). Since then the Lord has blessed us tremendously as the earthquake actually sped things up and provided opportunities for us to connect with people that have helped us with our files. It was not completed however by the time we needed to break back in Canada and the girls are not allowed out of Haiti. This meant that Laurens and I had to split our time in Canada, each of us taking 1 month with no time to spend together as a family.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>As you can imagine after what we have been through this has not been enough time nearly to process anything (throw in family expectations etc) and we desire more than anything to decompress as a whole family. I never knew that after going through something this big, that by 4 weeks you are only starting to realize what you have been through. We are starting to heal but without us being together (we are each other's true best friends) we have barely touched the iceberg. This brings us to the most important part of this e-mail. The girls papers and passports are almost done. I mean any day! This is a true miracle! Because of this, we have postponed our flights back and we are praying that this will come to fruition so that we will be staying to heal and "deal" for 2 months before going back to Haiti.&nbsp;We have decided to see missionary trauma counsellors here in Toronto and we are excited to break down the walls and go back to Haiti strong.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><b>We need you more than ever right now.&nbsp;</b></div><div>Please pray&nbsp;<b>today and into Monday</b>&nbsp;for:</div><div>1. The girls passports to be completed (they are at the office today)</div><div>2. That the authorities give Laurens the original papers that he needs to get their travel visas (this is a huge prayer as getting these papers is more difficult than it sounds)</div><div>3. That all this happens in time to book the only direct to Canada flight from Haiti this coming Thurs. (otherwise they have to wait until the next Thurs.)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Please pray in general for:</b></div><div>1. Our mental healing</div><div>2. That we get the rest and family time that we need to be strong for the Lord</div><div>3. That God is glorified through our family's story and through the miracle of the twins adoption</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Practical Needs that you may be able to help with.&nbsp;Please e-mail us(click on the e-mail to the right) if you are able to help in this regard:</b>&nbsp;</div><div>1. Assistance for funds of the flight. Because of the late booking, all regular seats are gone and the tickets for Laurens and the girls to join us are $2000 more than they usually are.&nbsp;</div><div>2.&nbsp;A vehicle to borrow for 2 months that fits 7 people&nbsp;</div><div>3. Mattresses for us to borrow to sleep on (in our empty house)</div><div>4. Very small kitchen table chairs x4 (we don't have a lot of space)</div><div>5. Stools for breakfast bar x 3 (wow we have a big family)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TG6ggxqhy2I/AAAAAAAAAjw/KZMGSJfvkRs/s1600/10.02.16.vandermark.0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0OhixYb2zCU/TG6ggxqhy2I/AAAAAAAAAjw/KZMGSJfvkRs/s320/10.02.16.vandermark.0002.jpg" /></a></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>Thank you so much for your support and prayers through this difficult year&nbsp;</div>Laurens &amp;; Cheryl VAN DER MARKnoreply@blogger.com0